Expensive merchandise such as electronic equipment on display in retail stores is presently protected against theft in various ways. One common approach to safeguarding "hard goods" such as tape players, cameras, stereos, and the like, is to simply keep them inside a display case. This requires sales personnel to be present to open the display case and remove an article for the customer's examination. Alternatively, samples of merchandise are mechanically secured by means of a mounting bracket or by a length of steel cable or chain. Such mechanical security systems are easily defeated by cutting the cable or chain or otherwise separating the article from its restraint. Moreover, these systems typically lack alarm devices for alerting store personnel to an attempted theft of protected merchandise.
While prior electrical security systems eliminate many of the disadvantages of mechanical systems, the inventor is not aware of any electrical system sensors capable of universal application. For example, a wire loop cannot be used if the article to be protected does not have a handle or other opening for receiving the loop. And, sensors designed to protect garments often cannot be applied to "hard goods," and vice versa.